1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a metallic coating composition capable of providing a metallic coating which provides a metal-surface-like luster exhibiting some specular reflection as exhibited by metal foil or metal plating surfaces, and also to a method of forming a multilayer coating utilizing the metallic coating.
2. Description of Related Art
Known metallic coatings contain metal flakes, such as aluminum flakes, and are typically applied to automobile bodies. Such metallic coatings for typical application to automobile bodies provide a unique designing, e.g., sparkling effect.
There are known electrical appliance and automobile parts which provide a metal-surface-like luster such as provided by a metal surface, which is different in nature from the sparkling luster provided by the aforementioned metallic coatings. Such parts with the metal-surface-like luster generally have a surface covered with a metal foil such as an aluminum foil. Alternatively, a thin film of metal is deposited on the surface by means of plating or vapor deposition.
However, in the technique of covering a substrate surface with the metal foil, a problem arises when the substrate has a complicated configuration having irregular surfaces. In such a case, localized wrinkling occurs in the foil to result in uneven coverage of the surface with the foil. Where the plating technique is utilized, the substrate is limited to electrically conductive materials. Otherwise, a conductive layer must be provided on the substrate surface. Also, the requirement of dipping the whole substrate in a plating bath complicates a manufacturing process and constrains plant design. When utilizing the vapor deposition technique, the substrate must be placed in a vacuumed or pressure-reduced container, making difficult to apply the technique to large-sized substrates. The requirement of pressure reduction also imposes a practical limitation on a manufacturing process. The practice of the aforementioned conventional techniques, which involve either adhesion of a metal foil or deposition of a metallic thin film by means of plating or vapor deposition, produces metallic coats which sometimes provide excessively intense gross, i.e., specular gloss. In such an instance, a special processing, such as surface roughening, is further required to reduce the gloss.